PNG to GIF Converter

Turn a PNG into a GIF when a template, an old editor or a GIF-only slot will not take anything else. Simple graphics come through untouched; photos and soft shadows change, and this page shows how.

or drop JPG, JPEG, JPE … files here ·

Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes

Output

Convert to

Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.

How to use this tool

1
Upload the PNG files
Add up to 20 PNGs, 95 MB each. Logos, pixel art, icons and screenshots convert best.
2
Optionally set a size
Convert to is already GIF. Under Advanced settings, Resize output image can shrink a large PNG, which also keeps the GIF small.
3
Press Convert to GIF
Each PNG becomes one GIF. Download them separately or as a ZIP; files are deleted after 30 minutes.

Converting PNG to GIF limits the image to 256 colors and one fully transparent color: flat graphics survive intact, photos and soft shadows do not.

PNG to GIF: the format that replaced GIF, converted back

PNG exists because of GIF. In late 1994 Unisys announced that software writing GIF owed licence fees for the LZW compression patent inside it, and a group of developers answered by designing a patent-free replacement. PNG became a W3C Recommendation in 1996 with everything GIF lacked for still images: millions of colors, a full alpha channel and better lossless compression.

Going back from PNG to GIF therefore means giving those things up. You do it when the destination accepts only GIF, or when a tool chain such as an older animation program or a GIF-based template needs the same format as the other frames. In most other cases, keep the PNG or use WebP.

PNG, 32-bit

16.7 M

colors available · 256 levels of transparency per pixel

flat art unchanged, gradients reduced

GIF

256

colors per frame · one color fully transparent

PNG

Portable Network Graphics

PNG is a lossless raster format published in 1996 by the PNG Development Group and later standardised by the W3C and ISO. It keeps every pixel exactly, supports full alpha transparency and handles text, sharp edges and flat colours without artefacts. That precision makes it ideal for screenshots, logos, icons and interface graphics. The trade-off is size: photographs saved as PNG are often several times larger than the same photo as JPEG or WebP. All browsers, operating systems and editors open PNG files.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: Yes
Animation: No
Introduced: 1996 · PNG Development Group

PNG converter

GIF

Graphics Interchange Format

GIF was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and is still the most widely supported format for short, looping animations. It is lossless but limited to a palette of 256 colours per frame, so photos and gradients show banding and dithering. It supports only on/off (1-bit) transparency, which leaves jagged edges on curved shapes. Animated GIFs are often far larger than the same clip as MP4 or WebP. Every browser, chat app and social platform plays GIFs.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: Yes
Animation: Yes
Introduced: 1987 · CompuServe

GIF converter

People convert PNG to GIF for a slot that takes only GIF, such as a legacy editor, an animation tool's frame input or a template; converting GIF back to PNG is how you get an editable still.

PNG to GIF converter misconceptions

MythA GIF will move once I convert my PNG.

FactA GIF made from one PNG has one frame. Animation needs several frames, which a single image does not contain.

MythGIF keeps the soft shadow under my logo.

FactGIF transparency is all or nothing, so a soft shadow becomes a solid shape or disappears at its faint edge.

MythThe colors always get worse.

FactA PNG with 256 colors or fewer converts pixel for pixel, with no change at all.

How to get a clean GIF from a PNG

Prepare the PNG for the palette before you upload it. Place a logo with soft edges on the color of the page it will sit on, so the blended edge pixels match that color instead of turning into a fringe. Reduce gradients to a few flat tones if you can. Keep text at a size where its edges are mostly solid pixels.

Pixel art is the exception that converts perfectly; scale it up by a whole-number factor in your editor first if you want it bigger. For anything photographic, ask whether GIF is really required. If the reason is motion, a short clip converted through the video to GIF tool will look far better than any still, and how to make a GIF from a video explains the frame rate and size choices.

Questions about converting PNG to GIF

Why does my transparent PNG get a jagged edge or light fringe as a GIF?

PNG stores 256 levels of transparency per pixel, so edges and shadows fade out smoothly. GIF has exactly one transparent color: every pixel is either fully see-through or fully solid. Half-transparent edge pixels have to pick a side, which leaves stair steps or a pale outline from the background they were blended with.

Can I make an animated GIF from one PNG?

No converter can, because a single PNG has one picture and nothing to animate. Each PNG you upload here becomes a one-frame GIF. For motion, start from a video clip with MP4 to GIF, or keep the frames as PNG and build an animated PNG.

Will a PNG with only a few colors look identical as a GIF?

Yes. If the PNG uses 256 colors or fewer and has no partly transparent pixels, the GIF holds the very same pixels; nothing is approximated. Pixel art, flat icons and simple diagrams usually meet that condition.

Why do gradients turn into stripes or speckles?

A smooth gradient can contain thousands of shades. Squeezed into a 256-color palette, it either shows visible bands where shades merge, or a fine dot pattern called dithering that mixes palette colors to fake the missing ones. Both are the format's limit; keeping the PNG avoids them.

Is a GIF smaller than the PNG it came from?

Sometimes, for full-color PNGs, because each pixel shrinks from three or four bytes to a one-byte palette index. For PNGs that were already palette-based, GIF is usually about the same size or a little larger, since PNG's DEFLATE compression typically beats GIF's LZW.